The biggest headline around 49ers camp hasn’t been a depth chart battle or a splashy practice play. It’s been health, and the clearest sign of progress is Kyle Shanahan.
After his major car accident, the San Francisco coach has been showing up on the field for longer stretches and moving closer to the action each day. The injuries around camp still don’t look season-altering, more like the kind of bumps and bruises teams manage carefully in August.
But Shanahan’s steady return has become the best news in the building. And around this team, that matters as much as anything.
There’s also been movement at left guard, where the early assumption is no longer holding. Connor Colby opened camp getting first-team reps because of his familiarity with the system, and offensive line coach Chris Foerster even called him “the incumbent.”
Robert Jones was always supposed to get a look, too. Now Jones has taken the starter reps in two straight practices, and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner said the answer may still be out there somewhere else.
“Another day with the 1s at LG for Robert Jones, who is going to get a good look there, it seems. Connor Colby ran with the 2s and 3s again, including on the right side.
And Pleasants got some more work at guard, too. My early read: The Niners are going to have to keep looking for the best option for LG.
Not sure that person is on the roster, though the concussion for Carver Willis is unfortunate because he might have been able to force his way into the conversation.”
At cornerback, Jack Jones keeps making it impossible to ignore him. The 49ers brought him in this offseason to push third-year corner Renardo Green, and the pressure has clearly had an effect.
Green has drawn praise from Raheem Morris, and the secondary as a whole has been getting strong reviews. Green still looks like the favorite to start opposite Deommodore Lenoir, but Jack Jones keeps forcing his way into the conversation with one play after another.
Wagoner described one of those moments this way:
“CB Jack Jones finds a way to make a play in practice nearly every day and did so again today. He jumped in front of a crosser from Mac Jones for Jordan Watkins for an interception. It wasn’t an easy one, either, as Jones tapped it to himself with his right hand then hauled it in.”
And then there’s Demarcus Robinson, who has gone from a player on the fringe to one the 49ers almost have to keep. With Ricky Pearsall done for the season, the team moved back toward Deebo Samuel, while Christian Kirk is also dealing with injuries. That makes Robinson more than a nice depth piece - he’s suddenly a necessary one.
The expected receiver group is starting to take shape. Mike Evans and De’Zhaun Stribling should handle the two-receiver looks, Samuel is set to be used all over the field, and Robinson has Shanahan’s trust as a veteran.
The usual rule for backup receivers is simple: if you don’t play special teams, you’re probably not making it. Robinson may be the exception.
The six receivers likely to stick are Evans, Stribling, Kirk, Samuel, Robinson, and Jacob Cowing, while Jordan Watkins appears to be on the outside looking in. Cowing’s punt-return experience in the NFL gives him a path that Watkins doesn’t have.
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Jordan Watkins Suddenly Has A Real Shot To Break Through For 49ers
Jordan Watkins never got much of a runway in his rookie season, with injury limiting his chances to show what the 49ers thought they were getting when they took him on Day 3. Now the landscape looks different. San Franciscos receiver room has been thinned out by a string of injuries and absences, and that has opened a much better path for Watkins to get meaningful preseason work and make a case that he belongs in the mix.
For a player trying to carve out a place on a roster with limited openings, that kind of opportunity matters. Watkins is no longer just another young wideout trying to catch up after a lost start to his career. With the 49ers looking for help on offense and special teams, he has a real chance to press for a role that goes beyond camp depth, and the next few weeks may go a long way in determining whether he can turn that into something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Injuries Reopen A Familiar Offensive Line Debate
Training camp has a way of turning every depth question into a roster test, and the 49ers are feeling it again up front. The latest injuries have put a familiar spotlight on left guard, where San Francisco has spent enough time searching for stability over the years to know how quickly one spot can ripple through the whole offensive line.
For that reason, the free-agent market still has a couple of names that make sense as the camp grind wears on. Veteran help is always appealing in August, and the 49ers know the value of players who already understand the system and the standard. San Francisco has at least two former linemen in that conversation, with one recently working back from an offseason procedure and the other openly interested in a return, leaving the door cracked if the team decides experience is the best short-term answer. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Camp Battle Is Heating Up In Two Crucial Defensive Spots
The 49ers eighth day of training camp came with the usual mix of missing veterans, fresh reps and a little more clarity about where this defense is headed. Brock Purdy helped keep the offense lively with a 60-yard touchdown strike to KhaDarel Hodge, but the bigger camp story has been on the other side of the ball, where Raheem Morris is installing a more versatile hybrid scheme and asking a lot of younger players as the roster starts to take shape.
A new fever backer role has added another layer to the competition, especially with camp battles unfolding in two spots that could matter once the season gets moving. Several defenders are being pushed into new responsibilities, and the cross-training has become part of the evaluation process as the 49ers sort out who can handle the demands of the scheme and who can help stabilize a defense that is still very much under construction. [Read more 🡒]